Pellucidar Notations

Massacre Lie Pure Reverse Race Discrimination

BLACKS WANT EVENT TO BE REGARDED ON PAR WITH PEARL HARBOR

Normal Events Led To Extremely Irregular Happening

The events that culminated in the Rosewood, Florida affair began on the morning of January 1, 1923, at Sumner, Florida, the neighboring saw mill village. Residents would remember the winter as one of the coldest on record. Frances “Fannie” Taylor, a 21-year-old married woman, whose husband James Taylor had gone to work at Cummer & Sons saw mill at Sumner, was home alone. Fred Kirkland and Elmer Johnson, two whites who were young men in 1923, remembered 70 years later that Taylor’s job at the mill required him to oil the equipment before the other workers arrived. It was his habit, once he got the mill started, to return home for breakfast.

Lying White Woman Set Series Of Events In Motion

According to Fannie Taylor’s version of events, a black male came on foot to her house that morning and knocked. When she opened the door the man proceeded to assault her. From most accounts the intruder did not consummate the act of rape although he beat her about the head and face. Some versions of the event claimed that she was both raped and robbed. Fannie Taylor’s cries for help attracted the attention of neighbors, and her assailant fled, supposedly headed south for Gulf Hammock, a dense expanse of swamps covered with jungle growth vines, palmettos and forests.

Those On Scene Believed Woman Was Beaten By Black Man

Fannie Taylor was not seriously injured and was able to describe what happened. The shock of the assault rendered her unconscious for several hours. No one ever disputed that some kind of physical attack took place The incident was never referred to as an alleged attack. There were white men who declined to participate in the manhunt. One was the town barber of Cedar Key. Another resident of the town refused even to loan his gun to anyone. He did not want to have his hands wet with blood, which seemed to be the clear intention of these white residents.

Around Two Dozens Blacks Barricaded Themselves In

On arriving at Rosewood the posse found a group of African Americans, estimates would vary later but the usual figures ranged between 15 and 25, barricaded in Sarah Carrier’s house. The white posse apparently had six men initially, a figure which, if accurate, was quickly swelled to many times that number. The whites deliberated about how to accomplish their mission and particularly how to discover Hunter’s whereabouts.

White Men Were First Murdered During Incident

Finally, two men, Henry Andrews, 42, Superintendent of the Cummer Lumber Company’s saw mill and C. P. “Poly” Wilkerson, 45, a Sumner merchant and mill official, boldly approached the house. Wilkerson, a large man who weighed well over 200 pounds, and Andrews, short but stocky and powerful, mounted the porch steps and attempted to enter. According to newspaper descriptions, the blacks inside opened fire and the two white men fell dead. Andrews and Wilkerson were the second and third persons to be killed since Monday.

Black District Quickly Cordoned Off By White Residents

At Sumner a group of armed men surrounded the black district and no one was permitted to go on the streets. As the forceful, stocky, dark complexioned W. H. Pillsbury explained, “I want to keep everything quiet here at Sumner. The important thing for us is to keep our own negroes busy at work and prevent any spreading of the trouble. We all hope that the negro sought will be captured at once and put an end to this rioting. Every effort is being made to prevent any spread of the race trouble to Sumner.”

Not Every White Was Out To Murder Black Townsfolk

After the first reaction to the assault on Fannie Taylor, Pillsbury persuaded his white workers to remain in Sumner and not join the posses. He also got the whites to keep order in Sumner. Pillsbury was aided by another white man named Johnson who was the mill foreman. A similar precaution was taken at Bronson. That same Friday morning 300 blacks went to work as usual in Sumner at the Cummer Lumber Company. Several blacks who attempted to leave town were turned back by Sheriff Walker. Guards were stationed around the village to keep blacks who had fled into the woods from returning.

Only Eight Black Deaths With Two White Ones Not Wholesale Massacre

The question of how many people died remains and it may never be solved. Based on contemporary evidence and accounts, there were eight deaths, six blacks and two whites. The blacks included were Sam Carter, Sylvester Carrier, Sarah Carrier, Lexie Gordon, Mingo Williams and James Carrier. The white men were Henry Andrews and C. P. “Poly” Wilkerson.

Many White Residents Sided With Black Populace

Most whites sided with the mob. There were several examples of whites who aided the black residents. In Sumner Ernest Parham’s mother and stepfather ran the saw mill’s hotel. During the first week of January, the Parhams smuggled their cook, Liza Bradley, out of town. She was hidden under laundry in the back seat of a car and driven past a roadblock to Bronson. White women in Sumner hid black women and children in the community at Sumner and later helped them escape by train to Gainesville.

Motion Picture Racists From Start To Finish

A totally racist movie based on events made all white folks appear as bloodthirsty bigots out to murder blacks at all costs. It is fair to say the body count in the motion picture was correct on whites with two. Seemed like hundreds of dead blacks were lynched or hanging from trees. One black was shot through head. Obviously this propaganda effort was made to make white citizens look like murderers and racists. It achieved the opposite. Radical racists no longer have white skin but are in black skins!